Senior leadership

Matthew (Matt) Schatzman was appointed Chief Executive Officer of NextDecade Corporation (NASDAQ: NEXT) on February 1, 2018. Mr. Schatzman was subsequently elected Chairman of the Board of Directors effective June 4, 2019. He joined the company as President and member of the Board of Directors on September 18, 2017. Mr. Schatzman has over 30 years of experience in the energy industry, including as Executive Vice President Global Energy Marketing and Shipping and member of the Group Executive Committee at BG Group where he was responsible for the company’s global marketing, trading and shipping activities for LNG, crude oil and natural gas. During his tenure at BG Group, Mr. Schatzman played a pivotal role in the success and growth of BG Group’s LNG business, transforming it into a global leader in flexible LNG supply and trading. Mr. Schatzman also held senior executive roles at Dynegy and started his career at Transco Pipeline, a subsidiary of Williams. In addition to managing an international portfolio of LNG, shipping, and commodity trading positions, Mr. Schatzman’s expertise extends to hedging, risk management and process improvement across a diverse portfolio of development and operating assets. Mr. Schatzman graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and is a member of the National Petroleum Council.

Ben Atkins was appointed Chief Financial Officer of NextDecade in November 2015. He has implemented an array of financial management and accounting processes and oversaw these functions through the company’s public listing process in 2017. Atkins has nearly 20 years of experience in these areas, with a particular focus on the energy sector. Prior to joining NextDecade, Atkins was Senior Vice President at GE Capital, where he led more than $1 billion of debt and structured equity transactions and was selected to support the Chief Risk Officer with a review of sponsor finance transactions and the implementation of Board initiatives across a $400 billion portfolio. Prior to GE Capital, Atkins served financial services clients at McKinsey & Company and worked as a risk manager in State Street Corporation’s Securities Finance division. Atkins graduated as class valedictorian from the U.S. Naval Academy and proudly served in the U.S. Navy Submarine Force. He earned an M.A. degree from Oxford University. Atkins is a CFA® charter holder and a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Connecticut and Texas.

Krysta De Lima joined NextDecade as General Counsel in July 2015. De Lima was appointed to the additional role of Corporate Secretary upon the company’s public listing in July 2017. A practicing transactional lawyer for more than 20 years, De Lima is responsible for all legal and contractual matters affecting NextDecade. Prior to joining NextDecade, De Lima was Senior Counsel with Bechtel’s Oil, Gas and Chemicals business unit in Houston. She was previously with BG Group for twelve years, serving in a variety of roles supporting the development of BG Group’s LNG investments and projects. De Lima was Vice President, Legal, advising on matters affecting BG Group’s investment in Atlantic LNG, as well as the company’s major producing and development assets in Trinidad. De Lima was later appointed Chief of Staff of the Trinidad asset. She began her career in private practice with eight years at Arthur Andersen. De Lima is qualified to practice law in New York, France, England, the British Virgin Islands and Trinidad and Tobago.

Ivan Van der Walt is Senior Vice President, Engineering and Construction. In this role, he is responsible for all project management, engineering, construction and commissioning of NextDecade’s projects. Van der Walt has nearly 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, including senior roles with CB&I (now McDermott) and Chevron. He also previously served as chief executive of the Australasian division of the KNM Group. Van der Walt has management experience on multiple LNG projects including Darwin LNG, Woodside LNG Train 5, Pluto LNG, and Gorgon LNG. He has provided dynamic and motivational leadership with a demonstrated ability to deliver results in diverse and challenging business environments and has successfully managed cross-country pipelines and compressor station projects in support of the LNG and power industries. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology.

James MacTaggart joined NextDecade in June 2018 and leads the company’s Singapore office. He brings significant experience to the role, in which he is responsible for NextDecade’s LNG marketing activities in Asia and the Middle East. Prior to joining NextDecade, he served more than 20 years with Shell in various marketing and trading positions. Most recently, MacTaggart was General Manager of Shell’s New Gas and LNG Markets business in Asia, India, and the Middle East. During his time at Shell, MacTaggart originated, negotiated, and executed a significant number of deals in the upstream, gas and power, and LNG trading businesses. These activities included working to set up Shell Energy India, negotiating LNG sales contracts for the Sakhalin 2 LNG project, and selling some of the first LNG cargoes into the Middle East. MacTaggart completed his undergraduate studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and holds an MBA with distinction from Cass Business School.

Ping Lee joined NextDecade in June 2018 and leads the company’s Beijing office. He brings significant experience to the role, in which he is responsible for NextDecade’s LNG marketing activities in China and Southeast Asia. Lee has more than 25 years of industry experience. He is the former President and Asset General Manager of BG Group, China, a position he held until 2016. Lee was instrumental in building BG Group’s commercial and E&P interests; before its acquisition by Shell, BG Group had become China’s largest LNG supplier. Prior to his time with BG Group, Lee held positions of increasing management responsibilities with Schlumberger, ultimately serving as Area President of Schlumberger from 2007 until 2011. He began his career with Schlumberger as a Research Scientist in 1990 in Austin, Texas. Lee holds masters and doctorate degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics, respectively, from Cornell University. He completed his undergraduate studies at the State University of New York in Buffalo. Lee serves on the Board of Directors of Cornerstone Bank in Atlanta, Georgia.

Alfonso Puga rejoined NextDecade in October 2015 after nearly two years as Head of LNG at PetroChina International. Puga was previously with NextDecade from February 2012 until February 2014. Puga has more than 15 years of experience in the natural gas and LNG industries, mostly in commercial and trading roles. He began his career with Spanish utilities Gas Natural and Union Fenosa Gas, where he was responsible for the short- and long-term sale and purchase of LNG from projects in Egypt and Oman. During his career, Puga has established LNG trading desks for Essent (now RWE) and Goldman Sachs, where he helped to open the bank’s Dubai office and coordinated LNG activities across branches in London and Singapore. Puga holds a degree in Industrial Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and earned an Executive MBA from the IMD-Lausanne.

Daniel Werner joined NextDecade in January 2019 with more than 25 years of experience in the energy industry, and a strong background in commercial, financial, technical, and regulatory areas. Werner identifies and develops opportunities to sell LNG into European and Americas markets, managing and negotiating SPAs for NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG project in South Texas. Highly experienced in commercial structuring and contract negotiation, Werner has worked in the LNG industry since 1999 and has lived and worked in several countries around the world. Prior to joining NextDecade, Werner was a Senior Vice President with GNL Quebec, leading pre-FEED, FEED, and EPC functions for a planned 10.5 mtpa liquefaction and export facility. Before that, Werner served in senior management roles – mostly in commercial roles – with Delfin LNG, Golar LNG, BG Group, and Sempra. Following completion of undergraduate engineering studies, Werner earned an MBA in finance and marketing from Loyola University of Chicago.

Kevin Beasley was appointed Senior Vice President, Gas Supply and Commercial Operations, on May 1, 2019. Beasley has more than 25 years of energy industry experience in natural gas, NGL, and LNG supply and logistics. Prior to joining NextDecade, Beasley was Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Advantage Midstream, a services company focused on GTL projects in North America. He was also Senior Vice President, Marketing and Trading, of Twin Eagle Resource Management, where he managed the crude oil and NGL businesses. At Trafigura, Beasley successfully developed and later sold to Buckeye Partners LP a deepwater shipping terminal, condensate splitter, and storage complex in Corpus Christi. In the physical gas and NGLs division of BG Group, Beasley was responsible for developing and implementing BG Group’s merchant business strategy, including risk management and scheduling systems. Over the course of his career, Beasley has also held roles of increasing importance with Texaco, Enron, and Reliance Holdings. Beasley has a Business Management degree from Texas A&M University – Kingsville.

Brent Wahl joined NextDecade in June 2019 as Senior Vice President, Finance. In this role, Wahl is responsible for coordinating the financing needs of the company, which is developing the largest LNG export solution linking Permian Basin associated gas to the global LNG market. Wahl is particularly focused on project-level debt and equity financing for construction of NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG project in the Port of Brownsville, Texas. Prior to joining NextDecade, Wahl was a Senior Managing Director and Head of Midstream Investment Banking for North America at Macquarie. During his nine years at Macquarie, Wahl handled advisory assignments and capital raises for companies across the energy value chain, including more than $15 billion of debt and equity in support of the construction of LNG facilities in North America. Wahl has more than 20 years of experience in the energy industry, having also worked at J.P. Morgan and Bank of America. During his career, Wahl has participated in more than $50 billion of financings and more than $100 billion of announced M&A transactions. Wahl holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

Patrick Hughes was appointed Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development on May 1, 2019. He joined the company on September 5, 2017, as Vice President, Corporate Strategy. Hughes supports the Chief Executive Officer in executing the strategic direction of the company, including partnerships, investments, and the coordination of various business functions. Prior to joining NextDecade, Hughes was a Partner in the Investment Banking and Advisory (IBA) group at Height Capital Markets, a Washington, D.C.-based broker-dealer. During his tenure at Height, Hughes focused exclusively on the energy and industrials sectors and he and his team were widely recognized as leading financial advisors in the global LNG marketplace. Hughes joined Height in January 2009 as a sell-side energy research analyst. He transitioned to investment banking in April 2015 and led the IBA group until September 2017. Hughes was previously a senior associate in the energy and natural resources equity research group at FBR Capital Markets. He also facilitated projects in Middle Eastern countries for a Washington-based strategic communications contractor and served as a case manager for a business intelligence and corporate security firm. Hughes holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy and Mandarin Chinese from Georgetown University.

Raquel Couri was appointed Vice President, Human Resources and Administration, in May 2018. Couri is a senior human resources executive with more than 15 years of international experience with a focus on the energy sector. Couri is responsible for resourcing the company through its various development stages, ensuring NextDecade remains an employer of choice for leading professionals in the energy industry. Prior to NextDecade, Couri was the Head of Human Resources for both BG Group’s Houston office and its Global Energy Marketing and Shipping business in locations across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Before moving to Houston, Couri led the human resources function for BG Group’s upstream asset division in Brazil. Couri has an Executive MBA in General Business Management from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and a B.A. in Psychology from Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF).

Toni Beck joined NextDecade in July 2019 as Vice President, Communications and Community Relations. In her role, Beck is primarily responsible for NextDecade’s communications, branding and community relations efforts. Beck has over 25 years of experience as a communications and public relations executive, including as Vice President, Corporate Communications and Community Relations at Waste Management, Group Vice President, Corporate Communications at Entergy and Group Vice President, Internal and External Affairs at Spectra Energy. During her recent tenure at Waste Management, Beck led the company’s corporate communications function with responsibility for internal and external communications, including media relations, digital and social communications, executive and employee communications, crisis communications and community relations. Beck holds a BS in Social Science from the University of Cape Town.

Ariel Handler was appointed Vice President, Finance and Market Analysis, in March 2018. He brings strong experience in economic analysis, valuation, strategy and planning. Prior to joining NextDecade, Handler served as Manager of Strategic Planning at Apache Corporation where he played a key role in developing Apache’s short- and long-term term financial and operational plans, capital allocation strategy, and portfolio and scenario analysis. Shortly before his departure, Handler oversaw all of Apache’s planning activities in the Permian, Midcontinent (Scoop/Anadarko Basin), and Gulf Coast regions. Handler holds a B.A. degree with Honors in Mathematical Economic Analysis from Rice University.

Kevin Hyatt was appointed Vice President, Gas Supply and Transportation, in January 2018. Hyatt joined NextDecade with over 30 years of energy and project development experience, having held senior management roles with companies such as EnLink Midstream, Gavilon, Energy Transfer Partners, and Enron. His experience has included financial analysis, natural gas supply and marketing, liquid and gas pipeline asset development, gas processing, electric power marketing, NGL marketing, oil supply origination, and mergers and acquisitions. Hyatt has an MBA in international finance from the University of Houston and BSBA from the University of Nebraska.

Eric Garcia was appointed Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer in July 2017. Garcia was previously an audit managing director with KPMG LLP, where he spent 15 years serving companies in the LNG, oil and gas, and power and utilities industries. Garcia received his BBA degree from the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Texas and New Mexico and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.